Vices & Virtues by Panic! at the Disco

Vices & Virtues, Panic! at the Disco's third studio album, came out on Fueled by Ramen in 2011, and it's the sound of a band surviving its own breakup. When guitarist and main lyricist Ryan Ross and bassist Jon Walker walked out in July 2009, Brendon Urie and drummer Spencer Smith were left to make the record as a duo, and Urie stepped up to become the chief songwriter.

With John Feldmann and Butch Walker producing, the pair spent more than two years on it, and the extra studio time shows in the sprawl: baroque pop flourishes, theatrical swings, songs about manipulation and confusion delivered with Urie's wordy, wide-eyed bravado. Critics were split between praise for the range and grumbles about the writing, but "The Ballad of Mona Lisa" led the charge and the album opened at number seven on the Billboard 200. Touring bassist Dallon Weekes designed the artwork and joined full time as the sessions wound down.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.